Category Archives: Uncategorized

>Not just the daily “clean” but the clean, organized space that’s exactly the way you want…if even for just a little while. Or maybe that last part is only in my house where between my husband, Cakes, and two dogs nothing lasts very long. But even knowing that it won’t last very long, a clean space still makes me happy.

Yes, I’ll admit it I’m that person that goes to your house and cleans while I’m there. It’s partial neurosis and partially me showing my love through cleaning or cooking or organizing or something else for you. While I’m usually told that I don’t have to do whatever it is I’m doing, I know that the person feels loved and appreciated through my actions. Let’s face it there are worst things I could be doing to feed my addiction and show my family and friends that I care.

As with many areas of my life, cleaning is another area that I’m very particular about. You know on Friends how Monica was the clean freak and would say it may be clean but is it Monica clean? That’s me. Sometimes I still find myself recleaning something that someone else did because it may be clean but it’s not Kelly clean.

Well, that was me until I had a baby and my priorities changed. I continue to crave order and cleanliness but have resigned myself to the fact that it’s not the most important thing. If someone wants to clean for me so that I don’t have to, I say thank you and appreciate it. I no longer sneak over and reload the dishwasher so that it’s done the “right” way. Unless of course it’s the holidays and every dish in the house is dirty and maximizing the dishwasher’s capacity is necessary, then I might take over. But overall I’ve learned to relax about my approach/obsession with cleaning. There really are more important things in life.

That all being said, I do not live in a dirty house and clutter over a prolonged period stresses me out. I plan on writing another post about the things I do to clean my house and what I consider just regular clean and Kelly clean but not to the extreme.

Our 1995 Honda Civic was totaled at the end of last year and with the holidays and everything else, we put off replacing it. My husband doesn’t want me to be stuck at home without transportation and a car seat in case something, so we are in the market for a new commuter car. Dave Ramsey suggests in The Total Money Makeover: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness to pay cash for your car and then continue saving and put the cash you saved and the trade in value towards a new car and keep on until you get the car you want. A beater car like that, just isn’t for us. We take care of our vehicles and plan on keeping them until they die so we’re opting for a car with a solid reputation. Our car choices have been narrowed down to another Honda Civic or a Honda Accord or a Nissan Altima. All have great Consumer Reports ratings, look nice, and are within our budget.

Pay off car from #1 as quickly as possible. We have half of the estimated value saved to put down and are going to finance the rest. Again, not Dave Ramsey advocated but it’s what looks like will work best for us. Our credit union is offering 2.49% for 36 months on new and used (we’ll be buying a car that’s 3-4 years old) cars and our goal is to pay it off in less than six months. We just paid off our FX in November so the having another car payment is not going to be fun but we’re motivated to get rid of it quickly!